How does the data for your county compare: a) To other countries? b) Over time? Answers to this question will be country-specific. Tip: There may not be data for your country on each of the indicators identified. Make a note of this, if this is the case. Do you see any problems with the adequacy of this secondary data? Examples include: data that is out of date, data missing for some years, data not available for all countries. 2. Find a national source of data that relates to the right to housing. Reflect on your experience to find this data. Was it easy? If so, why? If not, why not? The answer to this question will be country-specific. Tip: Start by looking for the website of your country’s official statistical agency. Chapter 7: Collecting primary data Residents in a rural village claim that pesticides from a nearby factory settlement are polluting their water sources and affecting their health. What would be the pros and cons of each method for collecting data to investigate this claim? Which would you suggest using? A. Convene focus groups and ask participants in-depth questions about the quality of water in their community and the health of their families (before and after the factory opened). Pros: could explore issue in depth. Cons: depending on what data is to be used for, might be too anecdotal or not representative of community as a whole. B. Survey households about water quality and health (before and after the factory opened). Pros: sampling a “statistically significant” number of households would provide valuable quantitative data. Cons: would be fairly resource intensive. C. Sample water sources used by the community and measure pollutant levels. Pros: would produce scientific, quantitative data. Cons: does not capture human impact; community could be excluded. D. Examine hospital records and record the number of patients suffering from waterborne diseases (before and after the factory opened). Pros: should be fairly easy to access; quantitative data. Cons: questionable accuracy, as not everyone who gets sick would go to hospital. E. Use the results from a recently published scientific study in a nearby city to estimate the degree to which pesticides run off contributes to increased levels of water pollution. Pros: already available; rigorous methodology. Cons: cannot assume that results will be equally applicable. You decide to conduct a survey on the degree to which pesticides contribute to water pollution. How would you improve the following questions? 1. What is the main source of water used by your household for drinking, cooking and hand washing? Separate into three questions. 2. How often do you treat your water to make it safe to drink? Sometimes Often Frequently. Use more specific terms, like all the time; a quarter of the time; half of the time etc. Exercise answers | 171